Smoke box



Dec. 4, 1928.

.J. E. COVEY SMOKE BOX I Patented Dec. 4'. 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN nLLswon'rII oovnY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A ssIenoa T SWIFT & COMPANY, I or emcaeo, ILLI voIs, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

I SMOKE BOX.

Application filed March 10, 1928. Serial No. 260,613.

This invention relates to smoke producingdevices for use in supplying smoke for treating meat.

i The objects of the invention are to provide means for avoiding the inconvenience and lack of suitable controlling means in the customary arrangements for producing the smoke for smoke houses and to prevent the escape of soot and ashes into the smoke house and settling onto the meat. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this class in which the air supplied thereto maybe regulated or-limited so that the sawdust fuel is burned at the desired slow rate and more orless blanketed b an unignited covering of sawdust in a sel feeding fuel supply arrangement. It is also an object of the invention to utilize a ortion of the unignited sawdust fuel for ltering soot and ashes from the smoke which passes upwardly therethrough into a smoke tube leading to the smoke room. It is also an object of the invention to provide a smoke tube or passage having means for effectually hold ing back and collecting'sparks in case combustion is permitted to take place at too high a rate.

-These objects are accomplished. by a construction such as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a View in elevation and partly in sect-ion of the improved smoke box. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken-on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the air distributer. The customary method of producing smoke for smoke houses is to burn sawdust and v wood on the floor of a brick-lined room or cell without any reliable means for controlling the quantity of smoke produced or preventing soot and ashes from going up into the smoke house, and settling on the meat.

The-present device consists of an entirely closed arrangement, except for the smoke out-- let and an inlet at'the bottom for air under pressure. The combustion chamber is mounted upon a metallic ash pit or rectangular base. Suitable shaking grates are provided between the combustion chamber and the ash tom thereof towards the top and a similar smoke tube and it has spurs or agitating arms to collect the soot or dust, and it acts as a ing and the opposite end of the door.

flaring hopper forms a continuation thereof. This hopper is the fuel magazine and is closed at its upper end by removable covered plates,

exceptfor a central o'peningthrough which passes a smoke tube. This smoke tube extendsdownwardly into the combustion chamber to about ten inches above the grate and may be rotated on its axis. Suitable means are provided for rotating or oscillating the extending outwardly from its side into the fuel in the hopper. Its upper GIMl'IlS enlarged and covered with a hood' spaced upwardlytherefromso that means are provided sparkarrester. I

' 'Referrin to the. drawings, the basal of.

the smoke ox may be a rectanglar metallic structure having a door 2 which is lined with an asbestos gasket 3'for making an a'yt-tight 75.

fit. The door is held in place at one side of the ash pit by being provided with a strap iron 4, theprojecting end 5 of which is wedgeshape and passesthrough a slot-in a bracket 6 on the side of the ash it-'ca'singf Suitable latching means are provided between the eas- The handle for the ash pit door is indicated at 7. iitremovable ash box 8 is located-in the ash p1 r Mounted upon the ash pit structure 1 is a rectangular grate support 9 provided with grate shaft bearings and stuffing boxes 10 and preferably lined with fire-brick. The grate shafts 12 and 13 are connected by the gears 14 and a shakerhandle 15-is secured to the grate shaft 12.

The combustion chamber 16 is shown as of conical form, composed of the metallic shell 17 lined with fire-brick 18.

The fuel hopper 19 is also of conical form and is a continuation of the combustion chamber but need not be lined with fire-brick as.

the sawdust fuel therein will provide the necessary insulation. The upper'end of the hopper 19 carries inwardly extending braces 20, the inner ends of which are connected by. a ring 21.. Also at the inner ends of the braces and welded thereto is a ring 22 for rotatably supporting the smoke tube. The smoke tube 23 is wide at its upper end 24 to extend over and rest upon the ring 22. Passing through the enlarged end 24 of the smoke tube is a rod 25 by means of which the smoke tube maybe rotated or oscillated for the purpose of preventing any tendency of the sawdust fuel to stick together and not feed properly into the combustion chamber. To this end the tube 23 is provided with spines or agitator arms 26 extending outwardly therefrom to within a few inches of the side of hopper 19. The enlarged end 24 of the smoke tube serves to collect ashes or sparks, if any pass upwardly therein; and to prevent a direct fiowof smoke outwardly from the tube. The latter is preferably provided with a hood 27 resting on the upper edge of the part 24 thereof through the forked feet 28 which are riveted to the hood. These feet serve to space the hood the desired extent from the upper edge 29 of the part 24 of the combustion tube.

The hopper 19 is closed at its upper end between the combustion tube and the outer edge thereof by the two removable cover plates 30 extending from the periphery of the hopper to the ring 28 on brackets 20.

Air is supplied to the fuel by means of a distributing perforated ring-shaped conduit 31 located in the ash'pit below the grates 32 on the shafts 12 and 3. Air is supplied to the distributer 31 through conduit 34 under the control of a regulating valve 35.

In operating the smoke box, in case it is not supplied with gas ignition means, combustion may be started by dropping live coals through the hopper on to the grate before the hopper is loaded with the sawdust fuel. The sawdust fuel collects above the grate and below the smoke tube 23, thereby acting as a filtering bed above the burning part of the fuel on the grate. The flow of air under pressure to the distributer 31 regulates the rate of combustion, valve 35 being provided for this purpose. The air supplied is insufficient to produce rapid and complete combustion and therefore great quantities of smoke are produced. This smoke is filtered as it makes its way through the unignited sawdust to the smoke tube 23. The unignited fuel, therefore, serves to hold back ashes, soot or sparks.

Thus the smoke delivered .to the smoke house is filtered and clear, and prevents an undesirable accumulation of ashes or soot on the meats being treated. Oncethe valve 35 is properly set, an occasional operation of the shaker 15 serves to maintain the desired rate of combustion.

Although but one specific embodiment'of this invention has been herein shown and described,it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following 7 claims.

2. A smoke box of the class described, comprising a hollow base for receiving ashes, a combustion chamber mounted above said base, a grate between said combustion chamber andbase, a fuel hopper mounted above said combustion chamber, means for closing the upper end of said fuel hopper, a smoke tube extending from the ,upper end of said hopper downwardly into the combustion chamber, said smoke tube being mounted for rotation on its axis, and fuel stirring arms extending from the sides of said tube.

3. A smoke box of the class described, comprising a hollow base for receiving ashes, a combustion chamber mounted above said base, a grate between said combustion chamber and base, a fuel hopper mounted above said combustion chamber, means for closing the upper endof said fuel hopper, a smoke tube extending from the upper end of said hopper downwardly into the combustion chamber, and means under the grate for supplying air under pressure.

4. A smoke box of the class described, comprising a hollow base for receivin ashes, 'a combustion chamber mounted a ove said base, a grate between said combustion chamber and base, a fuel hopper mounted above said combustion chamber, means for closing the upper end of said fuel hopper, a smoke tube extending from the upper end of said hopper downwardly into the combustion chamber, and an air distributer under the grate.

hopper extendingupwardly from saidcombustion chamber and flaring outwardly to smoke tube, and means for rotating said 1 smoke tube.

Signed at Chicago this 7th day of March, 7

JOHN ELLSWORTH COVEY.

5. A smoke boxof the class described, comprising a combustion chamber and a fuel 

